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TLV Thinline Bible, Holy Scriptures, Grove/Sand, Tree Design Duravella
A New Translation to Highlight the Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith
The first Christians were Jews, and Christianity has its roots in the religion of God's chosen and called out people. Jesus's death and resurrection was not the beginning of a new religion but the fulfillment of the covenant God made with his people. Yet most Bible translations sacrifice the deep connection between the Jewish roots of our faith and the grafted-in Gentile branches, using imprecise English terms rather than Hebrew terms that encompass a fuller meaning. The Tree of Life Version (TLV) is a new Bible translation, produced by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, which highlights the rich Hebrew roots of the Christian faith by restoring:
- the Jewish order of the books of the Old Testament
- the Jewish name of the Messiah, Yeshua
- reverence for the four-letter unspoken name of God
- Hebrew transliterated terms, such as shalom, shofar, and shabbat
- and more
The first Christians were Jews, and Christianity has its roots in the religion of God's chosen and called out people. Jesus's death and resurrection was not the beginning of a new religion but the fulfillment of the covenant God made with his people. Yet most Bible translations sacrifice the deep connection between the Jewish roots of our faith and the grafted-in Gentile branches, using imprecise English terms rather than Hebrew terms that encompass a fuller meaning. The Tree of Life Version (TLV) is a new Bible translation, produced by the Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society, which highlights the rich Hebrew roots of the Christian faith by restoring:
- the Jewish order of the books of the Old Testament
- the Jewish name of the Messiah, Yeshua
- reverence for the four-letter unspoken name of God
- Hebrew transliterated terms, such as shalom, shofar, and shabbat
- and more
1232 pages, Paperback
Published May 3, 2016
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12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 30, 2021
It’s been a good year reading through the Bible. I started the year in the New Testament, reading a chapter or two each day, with a couple of commentaries as guides for additional context. When I finished with the NT, I went all the way back to the beginning of the OT, and I wondered if that was a strange thing to do. But what I found was that reading in that flip-flopped order actually brought out some things in the OT that I wouldn’t have seen quite the same way if I hadn’t just read the NT. One observation in particular is that it was great to read Isaiah within just a week or two of reading Revelation. I’d like to do a more focused study of those two books as a pair sometime.
For the Old Testament reading, I tried to read an entire book in one sitting each day. Obviously that was sometimes too much of a challenge—I spent a few days in each of the major prophets, for example. But overall I was able to read whole books or at least large sections every day, and I found that this was also really helpful. Looking at the grand scope of the story within a short space of time makes some connections clear that otherwise get lost in the details of reading a little bit at a time.
This year’s read-through was in the Tree of Life translation, which I was not very familiar with before (a colleague at one of the places where I teach mentioned it to me last year). This translation is intended specifically for Jewish or Messianic Jewish readers. The OT books are in the Jewish scripture order (which I like—it makes a lot of sense to leave Chronicles as the end of the OT). And some Hebrew words are left untranslated—what Jewish reader would need terms like shalom, kohen, or mitzvot translated, for example? Jesus is called Yeshua, a change that I would like other translations to incorporate. For a non-Jew like me, I find this approach a helpful way of reminding me where the scriptures originated; it’s a comfortable invitation to learn more about the roots.
The writing style of the translation is simple and direct—not archaic or “amplified,” nor is it a modernized paraphrase. The translators have made a number of particularly good choices in their styling, and I really enjoyed reading it all the way through.
This the second (third, maybe?) year that I’ve done a complete read-through of the Bible. I think now I’ll return to daily prayers and lectionary readings, rather than start in on another full one-year read-through. Good to change things around occasionally for this book that is endlessly fascinating.
For the Old Testament reading, I tried to read an entire book in one sitting each day. Obviously that was sometimes too much of a challenge—I spent a few days in each of the major prophets, for example. But overall I was able to read whole books or at least large sections every day, and I found that this was also really helpful. Looking at the grand scope of the story within a short space of time makes some connections clear that otherwise get lost in the details of reading a little bit at a time.
This year’s read-through was in the Tree of Life translation, which I was not very familiar with before (a colleague at one of the places where I teach mentioned it to me last year). This translation is intended specifically for Jewish or Messianic Jewish readers. The OT books are in the Jewish scripture order (which I like—it makes a lot of sense to leave Chronicles as the end of the OT). And some Hebrew words are left untranslated—what Jewish reader would need terms like shalom, kohen, or mitzvot translated, for example? Jesus is called Yeshua, a change that I would like other translations to incorporate. For a non-Jew like me, I find this approach a helpful way of reminding me where the scriptures originated; it’s a comfortable invitation to learn more about the roots.
The writing style of the translation is simple and direct—not archaic or “amplified,” nor is it a modernized paraphrase. The translators have made a number of particularly good choices in their styling, and I really enjoyed reading it all the way through.
This the second (third, maybe?) year that I’ve done a complete read-through of the Bible. I think now I’ll return to daily prayers and lectionary readings, rather than start in on another full one-year read-through. Good to change things around occasionally for this book that is endlessly fascinating.
November 13, 2019
I bought this edition to replace the one my puppies devoured, and #gratitude, I like this one much better. The cover isn't peeling, and there is no distracting amateur artwork. The translation is the best one out of every English version that I've encountered (and thanks to YouVersion app, I've tested plenty of them!) Used in conjunction with the One Year Bible reading plan, pen and journal, these Scriptures challenge everything I thought I knew. Keep on rockin' the house! I think Yeshua would approve ;0)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews